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British Submarine HMS Seal

HMS Seal

British Submarine HMS Seal

HMS Seal was a Grampas-class minelaying submarine of the British Royal Navy. Launched on 28 September 1938, she was commissioned on 28 January 1939.

On 4 May 1940 after laying a minefield in the Skagerrak, Seal was hunted by German trawlers after being spotted by aircraft. Successfully avoiding the trawlers, she ran into an uncharted minefield. Suffering considerable damage she sank to the bottom and waited until nightfall before attempting to surface.

After considerable difficulty, the crew managed to raise her, but she could no longer submerge and damage to her rudder meant she could only steer in reverse. After destroying all confidential papers and equipment Seal made for Sweden and internment. Unfortunately she was spotted by two Arado Ar 196 floatplanes, which were soon joined by a Henkel He 115. With his guns out of action, wounded crew members and unable to dive, Captain Lonsdale surrendered.

Despite the crew’s expectation that the submarine would sink by herself as she was listing and holed, the Germans managed to salvage her. She was repaired at huge cost, renamed UB and used as a training ship and for propaganda purposes. A lack of spares and high maintenance costs saw her paid off, stripped and abandoned in 1943. KMS UB was never used operationally against British forces.

Fleet Base East Open Day 2024

Fleet Base East Open Day 2024

Providing an excellent opportunity to see some of the Royal Australian Navy’s ships up close, Fleet Base East Open Day 2024 was held on 25 February 2024.

Although ticketed so as to control numbers, entry was free and commenced at 10:00am. After a quick ticket and bag check at security we were allowed onto the base. Three ships were open to visitors, HMAS Arunta, Hobart and Canberra, although others were present and viewable from the dock. The RAN also had displays along the dock, showing their capabilities, career options and roles available.

HMAS Hobart (DDG 39)

HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)

HMAS Canberra (L02)

HMAS Sydney (DDG 42)

Schiebel Camcopter S-100

Schiebel Camcopter S-100 Fleet Base East Open Day 2024
Schiebel Camcopter S-100

US Battleship USS Florida BB-30

USS Florida BB-30 seen in 1921

US Battleship USS Florida BB-30

USS Florida (BB-30) was the lead ship of her class of dreadnought battleships for the US Navy. Launched on 12 May 1910, she was commissioned on 15 September 1911.

During World War One, she was sent to reinforce the British Grand Fleet, where she undertook patrols of the North Sea and escorted convoys to Norway. She did not engage ships of the German High Seas Fleet.

Post-war she was heavily modernised from 1924 to 1926. This included strengthening her deck armour, adding torpedo bulges, the removal of her submerged torpedo tubes and rear lattice mast and trunking her two funnels into one. Four 5″ guns on sponsons were also removed. Her machinery was significantly upgraded by utilising the oil fired boilers removed from battleships and battlecruisers that were scrapped under the Washington Treaty.

The terms of the 1930 London Treaty required the reduction in size of the signatories’ battle fleets. USS Florida was decommissioned on 16 February 1931 and sold for scrap.

Under Construction

In Service 1911 to 1924

In Service Post Refit 1927 to 1931

Armament

Aircraft

Internal

Being Scrapped